Silence Blossoms
by Sicaria Snape
Summary: When a mysterious girl shows up at Hogwarts, no one knows what to do...
1. And I Appeared

Chapter 1:

**Chapter 1: And I Appeared**

_Author's Notes: This is actually a piece of writing I put effort into..so there, Arianne! Flame me and I'll cry...because I'll be so happy that someone actually read this. If you have something nice to say to me...good. I need encouragement. I have low self esteem. Not really, but I thought...nevermind. Get reading!_

I suppose I should start at the beginning. Doesn't every story start at the beginning? Yes, they do. They start at a beginning, proceed to the middle, and for the conclusion there is always a standard "The End". 

To tell the truth, I would much rather be at "The End", but instead, here I am...at the middle. I suppose I should try to explain a bit first...about who I am, and what I am doing.

I don't know my name. I don't know where I'm from, or how I got here...in front of Hogwarts. It has started to rain, and I'm just standing here. Why? Where is my family? Who is my family? I think I may have amnesia. It doesn't scare me. I'm beyond the point of scared. 

My cloak is black, I finally notice. It comes to my ankles. It appears to be knitted...by my mother? I take in my surroundings. I had heard of Hogwarts...where?...and I knew this was where the great wizard Dumbledore was headmaster. 

I can remember so many things about everything else except me. I walk up the path to the castle. A haven. Warm. Safe. I feel like a sinner walking to Heaven. Why? I am so confused....about everything.

The door to Hogwarts looms in front of me. I put the hood over my head as the door slowly creaks open. I didn't even knock. Or did I? I don't trust my memory any longer.

"What do you want?" the man growled at me. A mangy cat weaved inbetween his legs. 

I opened my mouth to say something...anything. But there were no words. None. I closed my mouth.

The man looked at me strangely. "Wait here," he said gruffly. "I'll go see if Dumbledore wants to see you." He closed the door in my face.

I sat in the mud. It seemed appropriate.

The rain came down harder. I was getting much colder, but I didn't care. Again, it didn't seemed to matter what happened to me now. This was just another part of what was happening to this person who wasn't really me. How could she be? She had no name, no place in life. How old was I? My own body was a mystery to me.

The man came back to the door. "He's in a meeting, but he said he'd see you anyway. You'd best be grateful, girl," he let me in, grumbling all the while. "Yer going to get mud on my floors too."

I nodded.

He got angry.

"You can find your own way then!" he snapped, and walked away, laughing to himself. Selfish prat. 

"We'll help you find Dumbledore's office," said three kids...teenagers....people my age?...as they appeared out of mid-air. I took a step back. "An invisibility cloak," said the black haired boy sheepishly. He had a weird scar in the middle of his forehead. The other boy was red-headed with freckles. The girl had bushy, brown hair and a haughty stature that can only come from too much knowledge.

I nodded. Again.

I followed them. The boy had taken off the cloak and started off in a direction, followed closely by his two friends. I followed them. My boots echoed loudly in the halls we passed through. I was wearing boots? We went through a number of different hallways, and possibly the same hallway twice. I didn't ask questions. If these kids wanted to jerk me around, fine. I wasn't in any better shape before. They'd get tired soon.

The boy with the scar stopped in front of a gargoyle. He mumbled something to it, and it swung open, revealing a set of stairs. They climbed. I followed. We reached another door. The boy knocked, and the voice of an old man floated through it, "Come in" it said. He sounded friendly. Thank God.

I walked into the room, expecting only one other person. There were five. Suddenly, the trio was pressed a bit closer to me. Protecting me? Wanting protection? They were scared...intimidated. 

"I brought the girl that Filch mentioned...." the boy with the scar started. "He got angry and left her to find her way. Luckily..uh..er..we were on our way to..."

"To find a book I had lost," the girl piped up.

This was recieved by skeptical looks.

"Oh!" the black haired boy exclaimed suddenly. He turned around to look at me. I raised my head, and my eyebrow at him. "I'm Harry Potter," he said, motioning to himself incase I just didn't get it. "And this is Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley." They nodded. They seemed nice. "This is Proflessor Dumbledore. He's headmaster here. And this is Professor McGonagall, she's head of our house, Gryffindor. That's Professor Sprout, she's head of Hufflepuff-"

"We beat them at Quidditch last week!" Ron exclaimed excitedly.

Whoop-ee.

"-Professor Flitwick is head of Ravenclaw, and Professor Snape is head of Slytherin."

Ron grimaced at me.

I was feeling ill now too. There were too many people in here. I was getting nervous.

"Well, well..." Dumbledore said. He seemed like he had just snapped out of a trance. "Have a seat, child. Have a seat." He turned to my three escorts. "You three may leave for your dormitory."

"We were just headed there," Ron said, backing out of the doorway.

"See you!" Harry said, about to leave. "Wait! What's your name?"

The room seemed to reverberate with this question. What was my name? I would just explain that I couldn't remember....I opened my mouth to speak again, but....there were no words. No words came...like before. I knew I could speak, but I couldn't...wouldn't. I shook my head at Harry instead, and turned away.

They left.

I sat down.

"So, why have you come here to Hogwarts...in the middle of the night?" asked Dumbledore gently.

I didn't even try to speak this time. I just looked at him. I heard once that you could convey what you were thinking through your eyes.

It's bullshit.

You can't.

"Hmm...well...," Dumbledore mused.

"She might be dangerous," said the greasy one. Snape, was that his name?

I turned quickly to look at him and glared. I was still in the room after all. No need to pretend I wasn't.

Dumbledore took my anger to be a good sign. "Why don't you remove your cloak?" he asked. "It must be soaking wet, and besides, you remind me of a dementor in it." His eyes were twinkling.

What the hell was a dementor? It sounded familiar....

I took off my cloak, but a sharp pain made me hiss. I was cut! The cuts were everywhere...my arms, legs, on my stomach....what had happened?

The other adults gasped and jumped up to...to what? Prevent me from getting hurt again? 

I looked at my wounds in amazment. How did I get these? They didn't hurt too badly....it was a numbing kind of pain. I knew it was there, but had chosen to ignore it...until now.

"Get her to Madame Pomfrey," was what Dumbledore said.

Then I fainted.


	2. The Infirmary

The Infirmary:

**The Infirmary: A Lesson Begins**

_Author's Notes: Hello, my gracious sweater monkeys. Back for more of my story, eh? Couldn't stay away from me, eh? No wait! Don't leave! Here's chapter 2 of my story._

I woke up in a hospital. Or wait...was this a hospital? No...it was an infirmary. There were curtained partitions all along this part of the room. Definitely not a hospital. 

I sat up and looked at my arms. There was no trace of the cuts.

"But how did she get them?" I heard a woman ask. Probably the nurse on duty. Probably.

"I don't know." That was definitely Dumbledore.

"Well, who is she?" 

"I do not know that either."

I got up off the bed, and walked towards the voices. I must not have been there long. All five adults from..upstairs?...downstairs??..were there. All of them were looking concerned. Except for the dark one. He looked tired. 

I wanted to call out that I was fine. That I was going to be okay. But I couldn't. I just walked and stood next to the nurse. Everyone looked at me in surprise.

Yes, look at me. I live, I walk, but I can't talk.

Apparently no one told the nurse that.

"Well, well! Are you all better now?" she asked in a patronizing sort of way, looking me up and down.

I nodded.

She looked at me expectantly. For what? Oh...a sign of gratitude. I wanted to say "thank-you". Really, I did. But I couldn't. So what else could I do? Curtsy? Not on my life. 

I clasped my hands together in front of me and bowed. A Japanese sign of gratitude....I think.

It worked anyway.

"Oh! Well...your welcome."

Good enough.

"Now that you're feeling better, I wonder if you could do something for me?" Dumbledore asked of me. I raised an eyebrow. He handed me a wand. I raised my eyebrow again. "Can you make it cast a light?"

_WHAT?! _Cast a light?? This wand? That was impossible...wasn't it? Well...not impossible for him, but for me. Why for me though? 

I felt the brief traces of a memory float away. So...Dumbledore thought I was a wizard. A spell to make this thing light....

The faculty members were saying encouraging things like:

"Now really, Dumbledore!"

"This is ridiculous!"

"She must be a muggle!"

and, "She can't do it!"

What was that spell? Had my father taught it to me?...my mother? Think! It was..lemon. NO! Lemino...no...._Lumos!_

The wand cast a steady glow.

"I...I-er...didn't hear her say _lumos_," said the stern looking woman. 

"She didn't," said Dumbledore matter-of-factly. 

"How is that possible?" the dark wizard asked.

"I've heard of it being done," Dumbledore explained, gently taking the wand from me. "But I've never seen it before. I was actually hoping she would speak."

I gave a wry smile.

"She thinks this is a joke!" the dark wizard exclaimed.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes impatiently.

"I don't think she does," Dumbledore said. After a moment of intense thought, he finally said, "Let me get the sorting hat...wait here."

The wah-huh? Sorting hat? 

I looked at the stern witch and shrugged my shoulders, palms up. _What's happening?_ I appeared to ask...without actually speaking, of course. Why couldn't I speak?

"He's getting the sorting hat, dear," she explained gently.

Well, no kidding. Of course he was getting the sorting hat.

I repeated the gesture.

"It's the hat that will tell you what house you're going to be in," she continued. "I suppose that he wants you to attend school here."

Oh.

A few minutes later, Dumbledore returned with the hat, which gave a giant yawn. 

I'm bored too, pal.

"Just put this on, and wait to see what he has to say," Dumbledore explained.

Hmm...all right.

I set the hat on my head, and it promptly fell over my eyes. I smiled. For the first time since I've known myself...again. I smiled. This was rather amusing in a way.

My smile seemed to settle down the adults. I could hear sighs of relief.

_"Hmm...,"_ started the hat. _"I see you're a very strong person...but confused...Gryffindor?...perhaps Hufflepuff."_ The hat paused here...thinking. I started humming. No particular tune. I twiddled my thumbs. Gentle laughter from the world outside the hat. _"I see a lot of bitterness in you still. Sarcasm. Wit, perhaps, but sarcasm nonetheless. It'll have to be...SLYTHERIN!"_

Before I took off the hat, I said _"thank you"_ in my mind. 

_"You're welcome,"_ said the hat. 

I wasn't too surprised.

"You're in Professor Snape's house," explained Dumbledore

I thought I was at Hogwarts.

I smiled at my own wit.

"Good, good," said Dumbledore. "At least you aren't opposed to the idea."

I kept smiling. No need for him to know.

"Severus," Dumbledore said, turning to...what was his name...Professor Snake? "Would you show this young lady the Slytherin dormitory?"

"Of course," he replied. I followed him out the door. Bowing (the Japanese way) to Professor Dumbledore before I left.

On the way downstairs (to the dungeon, of course), Professor Snape (I knew his name now) made me feel quite accepted and comfortable.

"I hope you don't think you're going to get any special treatment because you're disabled. I expect everyone will treat you just like anyone else."

What a dear.

I hope he's right, though.

I hope the Slytherin's are friendly.

I hope.


	3. Slytherin Dormitory

Slytherin Dormitory:

**Slytherin Dormitory: Some people just aren't friendly**

_Author's Notes: Hello, my greasy puppets. How are you today? Is that so? Well, I wrote fanfiction today! Yes! Yes! I did! I'm not a liar! Don't call me that! Ahhhh! Here's the proof....chapter 3._

I slept on a couch in the common room. I must be a light sleeper. I heard the footsteps and woke up before they had reached the bottom of the steps.

"Who are you?" was the greeting that met me.

I shrugged my shoulders.

The girl tossed her long, blond hair over her shoulders and sighed impatiently. Before she could say anything though, I heard a movement behind me, and realized that the portrait was moving. It was Professor Snape.

He entered the common room, looked at me, and then looked at the girl. "Miss Stevens," he said coolly. "This is your new room mate."

"But who _is_ she?" Miss Stevens asked.

I looked at Professor Snape. He was looking at me. I raised an eyebrow.

"We don't know," he said.

"How can you not know?" she pressed

"Don't anger me, Miss Stevens!" Professor Snape yelled. "I expect to see this young lady-" here he pointed at me "-in the dining room with the rest of the house for breakfast _on time_!"

That wasn't clear enough. Could you please repeat it again?

"Yes, sir," the girl meekly replied. 

"Good," said Snape. He turned to leave, but then added, "She doesn't speak." Then he left.

The girl gawked at me. "You don't talk?" she asked, shocked.

Were you expecting a reply?

"Gawd, they're letting _anyone_ into Slytherin these days," she muttered, as she gathered books up from the common room desk. "Back when my father bloopidy joopidoo zebra cactus celery...."

Or something like that.

When she was finished, and it was appropriate for me to get up, I walked over to the mirror on the side wall. I must look a mess. 

I was right.

My red hair was tangled...red?...it was going to take me forever to untangle it. It was so long I was surprised I didn't notice it last night. My eyes...were green! Good Lord! I'm Irish!

I'm pretty tall as well, come to think of it. And I look really washed out. Pale. Luckily I didn't have any freckles. Maybe I'm only part Irish.

Or maybe I'm stereotyping.

Whatever.

"Let's go, Red!" the girl, Miss Stevens, yelled at me. She and her friends were waiting at the portrait/door. I walked over to them and followed them out. It was going to be an interesting day.

**************

It was an interesting day.

In Hell.

At least I have one friend. A fifth year girl named Patricia Pureblood. The Ironic thing is...she isn't. A pureblood, that is. I mean, that's her last name, but she's really not...oh nevermind.

She's an outcast. Like me. The Slytherin's don't like people who are different than them in any way. They also don't like you if you're not "pure blooded". This sounds like a cult to me.

Each of the other houses stays away from me too. Including the trio I met before. They're in Gryffindor, and they seem absolutely appalled that I'm in Slytherin. As if I made the decision.

Maybe I did.

Who knows?

The beginning of my day started out all right. Apparently, I know more about charms, spells, and potions than I thought I did. I was going to be put in the sixth year classes, but when they saw how well Pat and I get along, they changed their mind.

I'm actually grateful.

I bowed again. 

It was the first thing that came to my mind.

After that meeting, I was sent to lunch, and then to Double Potions with the people from Gryffindor and, of course, my own house, Slytherin. Professor Snape was the teacher. I should have sensed trouble brewing.

Get it? Potions? Brewing?

Ha ha.

Anyway, everything was going well. Patricia and I were working together, and we actually got "10 points for Slytherin" for our good work. Then things went wrong. 

You see, the potion we were making was very dangerous to the skin. Toxic. A Gryffindor boy, Neville Longbottom, had added something to his potion to make it start spilling over the side. Without thinking, I bounded across the room and grabbed him away from the mass of boiling ooze spilling over the desk and onto the floor. The room was silent.

"Mr. Longbottom!" Professor Snape yelled, striding across the room. "What has happened here?"

Mr. Longbottom didn't say a word. 

Obviously, neither did I.

"And you, Miss...Miss...You should have let it spill on him! He has to learn from his own mistakes!"

What?!

I stepped infront of Neville in a defensive sort of way. He got my point.

"50 points from Gryffindor, and detention for you!" he ended, pointing at me once again. Class ended then. As I was walking out of the room, Professor Snape added ominously, "I'll see you tonight, Miss."

*********

Miss.

That was my new name. Anyone who wanted my attention called out, "Miss!". Usually no one did.

I spent that night cleaning the dungeon classroom. I didn't mind. At least I wasn't in the Slytherin common room. They had shunned me since I saved Neville from that toxic waste.

How stupid of me. I should have known better.

Professor Snape walked me to the portrait that led to the Slytherin common room. "Well, well, Miss," he said, chuckling meanly (that's the only word for it, really. Mean.). "It looks like you'll have to speak to get inside."

I gave him a "you wish" look, and sat on the floor.

"I can wait all night, Miss!" he threatened. 

So we did.


	4. The Hallway

The Hallway:

**The Hallway: Skin color doesn't matter**

_Author's Notes: Hello, sugar bunnies. You're back again, are you? Well, I hope you like this chapter, because I worked hard on it at...uhh...3:40am. That's right! I couldn't get any sleep until I wrote this! So here you go..enjoy!_

It was not an easy night. I should make that clear here and now. The floor was cold, so cold, but not colder than the stare of Professor Snape. That constant glare from his eyes was enough to freeze me in some sort of stupor forever. Except I like to think that I'm stronger than that. That I can overcome little things like a glare. I tried.

I suceeded.

He hates me now. I don't care. 

When the other Slytherin's came out of the portrait hole, I knew I could get up. I had beaten him, and he retreated. Though there was no white flag waving.

I took my time getting to breakfast. I wasn't really eager to sit with my other classmates, and feel the steely glare of Professor Snape on the back of my neck. I dawdled.

When I arrived in the dining room, everyone was gathered around the Slytherin table. They all made way for me. This was a bad sign. 

When I got to the center of this gathering, I noticed a trunk. It must have gotten there by owl. I was now sorry I had taken so long to arrive. Seeing a bunch of owls come flying in with this would have been hilarious. I leaned over the trunk and noticed a letter with someone's name on it. It's said _Sarah_. 

Professor Dumbledore made his way to the center and stood next to me. "I think it's for you," he said quietly. I nodded. Of course.

I picked up the letter. So my name was Sarah. I liked that name. It was a lot better than "Miss" at any rate. I wonder if the letter would tell me who I was. 

I opened the letter. Here's what it said:

_Here are your belongings. You may or may not have other things. _

_Sincerely,_

_Us_

Us??? Geez, I hope I'm not related to these people. I might as well walk around and have people call me "you" or "me" or "I". How stupid could you possibly be?

I made the trunk, rise. It rose until it was chest level with me. Then I turned and walked out of the room. I wanted...no...I _needed_ a shower. The trunk followed. 

My name is Sarah, and I'm beginning to remember.

*********************************

That night I was getting ready for bed. When I walked out into the big bedroom, the four other girls were waiting there, looking at me. Well, Patricia was biting her lip. She usually does though.

"Hey, Sarah," Pansy said. She had a goblet in her hand. "We feel bad about everything that's happened to you, and so we made you this!" she thrust the goblet at me.

I looked at her warily.

"Go on! You can drink it. We aren't trying to poison you!" she giggled.

Well. That's exactly what I thought. 

I drank from the goblet anyway. I drank all of it.

I went to bed. 

I wasn't too surprised the next morning when I woke up and discovered that...my hands were green. In fact, my whole body was green. Except for my hair. What a neat effect.

The other girls had woken up too. They were now laughing hysterically. Except for Patricia. She was trying to laugh. She had always wanted to fit in. Well, they weren't going to get a reaction from me. What did they expect me to do? Cry? Laugh? Shout at them?

Ha.

I got dressed and went down to breakfast with my head up. Hopefully, this spell would wear off.

Everyone stared at me when I walked into the dining room. I had expected this, but it was still unnerving. The entire Slytherin table was laughing...hard. I hope they choke on their porridge.

That girl...Hermione??..came over to me. "You can sit with us," she said. 

I nodded.

I sat with the Gryffindors. They said things to make me feel better.

"It'll wear off, don't worry!"

"The Slytherin's are always horrible!"

and my personal favorite: "Green is your color anyway!"

I laughed at that one. My laughter seemed to surprise everyone. They fell silent. 

"I didn't think you made sounds," one girl said. I smiled. I shrugged.

I was feeling better.

Professor Snape came over. Now I was feeling queasy.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for this obviously ploy for attention!" he spat...literally..at me. "Detention, Miss..Sarah! Report to Filch tonight for your duty."

Uhhhh....Gryffindor? Had he been paying attention at all this morning? He walked back to his table. I think Professor McGonagall talked him out of taking the points away, but I still had detention...

Oh.

Well.

What was it going to be this time? Scrubbing the floors? Polishing trophies? Brushing the cat????

Gasp. Not the cat!

They can't scare me.

****************************

Well, well. 

So here I am. Sitting in front of the Slytherin portrait, on my trunk, and to top it all off, I'm soaking wet (though my green skin coloring _did_ wear off). Let me try to start at the beginning. You know how I love beginnings.

When I went to Filch's office earlier this evening, he was waiting for me with a spade and a bucket. He was wearing a rain coat. 

"We're digging for regular ol' earth worms tonight," he said, grinning at me. He shoved the bucket and spade at me. "Let's get going outside. The sooner we start, the longer I can keep you out there."

Now, you may have thought that the rain coat would be a tip off. I, however, was surprised to find that it was _pouring_ outside. And I had thought rain coats were just a new fad....

So I dug. And dug. And dug. And then for a change of pace, I dug some more. When I got back inside, I was sopping wet and muddy, but I smelled like rain. A small plus. I rounded the corner to the Slytherin dormitory and spied my trunk. It was just sitting there in the open. I ran to it and looked inside. I couldn't tell if anything had been tampered with or not. I hadn't had that close of a look at my clothes and such. A note was stuck on the top it. It said:

_Dear Miss Sarah-_

_We kicked you out of the dormitory, because we're dumb, stupid prats who wouldn't know a good person if they tripped us in the street and made us fall on our fat asses._

_Sincerely,_

_The stupid nitwits who live in this dormitory_

Well, that's what it said in my mind.

So that pretty much brings you up to the present. I'm utterly miserable sitting here in this dank, cold hallway, but where else am I going to go? 

I hear footsteps coming from down the hall. Getting up and sneaking to the corner, I peer around the side and see Professor Snape walking his evening rounds. I go and sit back down on my trunk and fold my arms. I try to think of something amusing. I wonder if Professor Snape has a theme song he plays in his head when he's hunting down truant children? I imagine it would go something like, "_I have a lovely bunch of coconuts...deedley dee..._"

He turned the corner and spotted me. Not that I was hard to miss. 

"Miss Sarah," he said, raising an eyebrow. 

I raised my eyebrow right back at him. Then I raised the other. 

He wasn't amused.

"What are you doing in the hallway after hours?" he growled at me.

I ran through my options. Nod, shake my head, or shrug my shoulders...none of those options fit. So I just looked down at my sodden feet. I was so cold.

I am weak.

"Why are you not in your dormitory?" he said, advancing towards me. I thrust the letter at him, and he read it. After he was done, he said, "Well, it serves you right." I looked at him. My hair was matted to the sides of my face. I was muddy, I was wet, and I must have looked extremely pathetic, because the next thing out of his mouth was, "Well, get up then. Follow me, and don't dawdle."

So what did I do?

I dawdled. 

Actually, I didn't move at first. I just listened to his footsteps fade away. Then I got up, leviated my trunk, and ran down the hall after him. Like I said before, I am weak.

I paused at the door to his chambers. I hung back as he unlocked his door, and walked in. He left the door wide open. So I followed him in. I figured, if he had wanted me to wait in the hallway he would have said so. 

I stood nervously in the doorway, waiting for a sudden burst of rage to push me back into the hall. But all Snape said was, "There's a bathroom in there. Go...take a bath, wash up...whatever."

With that he dismissed me. 

So I bathed, dressed in warm clothes, wrapped myself in my old cloak, and sat down in front of his fireplace. As I looked around, I noticed that Professor Snape didn't really have a bad set of rooms. There was a fireplace (duh) in the main part of the large chamber, with a sofa, and two chairs surrounding a rug, which was placed on the hearth of the fireplace. On the rug was a small table with a couple of books on it. Around the room were other sorts of end tables with other things on them. Pots and jars of things...more books. There were also about fifteen books shelves. At the far end of the room was huge four poster bed, with a forest green cover, and fluffy, oh-so-soft pillows laying on top of nice...soft sheets...

I think I'm tired.

I laid down in front of the fireplace. I had only meant to close my eyes until Snape came back from the bathroom, but I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, it was _very_ early in the morning. I was still laying next to the fire place, but with a blanket on me now too, instead of just my cloak. That wasn't what made me wary though. What made me wary was what I heard.

I heard _him_.

Snape.

He was in his bed, sleeping like a baby, and breathing (very) deeply.

That dragon.

And I was in his lair.


	5. The Lair

The Lair:

**The Lair: Some things work out in the end.**

_Author's Notes: Remember friends-- When given lemons, make lemonaide; When given hemlock, do not make hemlockaide; Know the Difference between Hemlock and Lemons. It might be on a test._

Well, after I woke up, I went through the whole ordeal of being surprised. Then I took action.

I went back to sleep.

Oh come off it. Like you wouldn't wake up at 3 in the morning and want to go back to bed. 

I fell asleep infront of the fireplace...again....and woke up again to Professor Snape's heavy breathing. This must be what it's like to be married. Except I don't have to fake headaches.

It was a Saturday. Nothing much was going on today. I laid on my back and looked at the ceiling and did some thinking. I thought about how I came to be here. Professor Dumbledore thinks that I was _meant_ to be here at Hogwarts, but I'm not so sure anymore. I mean, what if the person who dropped me off in the front thought I was dead, and they were just leaving me there until someone found me and buried me.

Well, that's morbid.

I wonder if the Sorting Hat can be wrong. I don't think it can be, but it's not God. It has to make mistakes every now and then. Thinking of God's mistakes made me think of Draco Malfoy. I hope he's choking on his own spit right now...

I heard Snape stirring. So what did I do? Get up? Demand to be let out (he locked the door with a spell again)?

I pretened to be asleep.

I am so stupid.

He got up and walked over to the door. He unlocked it and then walked into his bathroom. Taking the hint, I left, and I took my trunk with me. But where to put the trunk? I stashed it in a corner of his classroom. No one would find it there, because they'd have to be stupid to go poking around in Snape's classroom.

I went upstairs to the dining room. The first thing the Slytherin's did was ask, "Did you have a nice night in the hallway?"

Errr....

I nodded.

Hermione waved me over to the Gryffindor table. So I sat with them. From the looks I was getting from everyone else, you'd think I just committed a double homicide and gotten away with it. OJ move over.

The trio (Ron, Harry, and Hermione) were looking at me strangely as I ate my porridge. Finally, Ron asked none too subtlely, "How was your night in the hallway?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

Harry leaned in close. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked in a whisper.

I slammed my spoon down in mock exasperation and rolled my eyes heavenward. I mean, really Harry. I haven't spoken since I've gotten here. It was all a ploy to get you to tell me a secret, and once you tell me I'm going to go and tell the first person I see.

I didn't need to say any of that. Ron was laughing and Hermione was giving Harry her best "you-are-so-dumb" look.

"All right, well...," he began, looking sideways up and down the table. You know, so as not to look suspicious. This boy _does_ need an invisibility coat.

"We have a map that shows where a person is in this school at a certain period of time."

"Yeah," interjected Ron. "Like when we want to get food from the kitchen....I'm so glad we got that map back!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"And...well...," Harry was stammering. "We saw you in Snape's room."

"We _know_ you were there all night, because you were still there this morning," Hermione added, practically turning up her nose at me. Then she grew serious. "You two didn't....?" she trailed off, making a hand gesture of continuation. 

I lost it.

Or I would have lost it, had I not wanted attention given to me. Instead, my face turned an attractive shade of red, and my body shook with unshed laughter and tears of mirth.

I was choking on my porridge, and people were giving me weird looks. 

"Well, what happened then?" Ron pressed. 

I shook my head.

They let the subject drop, but I knew they were insanely curious. 

After breakfast, I went to the library to do my weekend homework. Then I composed two letters. Here is the first one:

_Professor Snape-_

_Thank you very much for your kindness last night. I was quite in need of a friend._

_-Sarah_

Well, that would disarm him at least. I felt I owed him something. Letting me into his chambers was a big thing for him...probably. Here is the second letter:

_To the Tenacious Trio-_

_I do not feel as if I owe you an explaination, but for all your kindnesses on my part, I shall explain what happened as simply as possible._

_I was thrown out of my dormitory by my fellow housemates. He let me sleep on his floor instead of the hallway. _

_That is my story._

_-Sarah_

I don't like writing letters. I don't feel like talking, and I don't feel like explaining things on paper either, but I feel less awful writing than I do speaking. 

I delivered the letters already. A simple exchange. I just pressed the letters into the recipients' hands. Easier said than done with Snape, though Harry was pretty easy to pass a letter to. _He_ didn't give me suspicious looks.

I do hope they understand.

Everything.


	6. The Classroom

The Couch:

**The Classroom: I hate cleaning**

_Author's Notes: Remember, Dears. Next time someone wants you to achieve something, and you just want to sit at home and watch TV, recite this little quote to them: "Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." Thank you. Go read now._

After I sent the letter to Harry, he and his friends were a lot nicer to me. Even nicer than they were before, which I was surprised at. I wasn't feeling waves of warm happy feelings coming off the students here.

After I sent the letter to Snape, however, he became even meaner to me. Go figure. Like I couldn't see this one coming a mile away. The very next class I had with him, I received detention in. For sneezing. He claims I distracted him. He must have ADD. 

I spent my detention in his classroom, washing the desks. Easy, you say? I had to wash each one twice. With a toothbrush. He took this opportunity to rant at me, about how I was only hurting myself and annoying the others around me and blah blah blah blah....

I wasn't listening. As long as I nodded my head once in awhile, I could give the impression that I was listening. After half an hour, Snape left and locked the door behind him. I finished while he was away, and leaned against a wall. Upon leaning, I slowly slide to the ground. My throat burned and my eyes were watering. I wondered if I was allergic to something....no...I was being dumb. I was going to cry. 

I put my head on my knees and took deep breaths, but it didn't work. I started sobbing. I don't know why I started crying exactly. I mean, why then and not before. I think all the stress of being so alone in this world finally got to me. No one really liked me. I didn't even know who I was, and I didn't know how to find my parents. I had nothing except what was in that old trunk in the corner.

I don't know how long I sat there crying before I sensed the presence of someone standing next to me. I didn't want to look up. I didn't want him to see my tear stained face. It was pride. I wanted to keep my pride, and what little was left of my dignity.

"Are you quite finished?" Snape asked, as my crying faded away.

I shook my head and took a shuddering breath. He was going to hate me. He looked like one of those guys who hated watching people cry, and hated the people for crying in front of them. 

I don't know..I just got that sense. 

I got to my feet, but I was unsteady. I felt lightheaded from all that crying I had done. So what did I grab for? A table? A chair? No. I fell into him.

I fell into him and started crying again. Now I was crying because I was embarrassed. Embarrassed to be seen like this, to be acting like this. It was ridiculous. But wasn't that really the definition of what I was? 

Ridiculous. That's me. Just a ridiculous girl, with her trunk full of old clothes!

Did I mention I was bitter too?

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I clung to that poor man like there was no tomorrow. I clung to him and cried. After my tears had subsided, I began to notice other things. 

Like how strong he was. People thought he was scrawny, but I could tell he wasn't. He had broad shoulders. Strong arms. Hands. He smelled good too. He was patting me on the back and saying something....wait. Snape was comforting someone?

"Yes, yes. There, there," he was saying. "Cling to the person who hates you the most."

I shoved him away, and dried my eyes.

Was that a smile I saw on his face? In his eyes?

Too late. It was gone. 

"I am under the impression that you still have no where to go," he said calmly, straightening his robes. "You may sleep in front of the fireplace again."

Oh, can I?

I really hate him...

Don't I?


	7. The Couch

The Couch:

**The Couch: A good night's sleep**

_Author's notes: Hello, salty parrots. You've come back for more, eh? What if this was it, eh? What if it was just me talking to you?? Would you stay then? Would you stay and listen to what I have to say? Lol. Just messing with you. I don't really care. Read now._

Okay, okay. I don't really hate the guy. He's letting me sleep on his couch. I'm watching him walk from the bathroom to the nightstand and back again. He's just flitting around his chambers. 

He's nervous.

Because I'm watching him.

This makes me feel powerful, so I try to stare even harder. Eventually I just give up and curl up on the couch. I'm wearing my old cloak to keep me warm. 

Suddenly, I feel something heavy, yet soft, drop on my feet.

"A blanket," was all he said.

I took off my cloak and wrapped myself in the blanket. It smells like him. I hope he doesn't see me sniffing his blanket. That would have to look silly.

I take one last deep breath and close my eyes. 

I need sleep.

****************************

_I'm standing in front of a mangled car. No...I'm laying on the ground near a mangled car. I feel the wet, warm blood trickle down my forehead. It's going to get into my eyes, but I don't care. I'm screaming, "Mother! Father!". I'm trying to reach out to them, but I can't move. The car bursts into flames, and I hear them scream. _

_There's a seatbelt laying next to me on the ground._

********************************

I woke up and sat bolt upright on the couch. I was sweating horribly, and I think I had been crying in my sleep. I was breathing heavily, and my hair was matted to the sides of my face.

I was too warm.

I kicked off the blanket, and sat there, just holding myself. I looked across the room and noticed that he was up as well. I must have woken him up by talking or screaming in my sleep. He's looking at me with this peculiar look on his face.

"I heard you talking, Sarah," he said. He got up and walked over to me. He sat down on the couch. "I know too what it's like to have bad dreams."

My breathing has slowed down and I'm a lot cooler now. I wrap myself in the blanket, and then...I leaned against him. 

I wanted..no..I needed to be held. I needed to know that someone was there to hold me. He didn't protest.

We must have fallen asleep like that, because the next thing I knew, it was morning, and he was still next to me. Awake. I felt badly for having kept him up all night. I was hoping he would say something to me, but instead he just got up and walked into the bathroom.

I wanted to say "thank you". To reach out for him again. But I didn't dare.

He is a professor. I am a student.

He is Professor Snape. And one does not do such things to Professor Snape.


	8. Speaking

The Bed:

**Speaking up is hard to do**

_Author's Notes: What have I told you about sending me secreted livers?! Geez! The postman does not want to have to deal with secreted livers any more. He's taken to hoarding them now, that rat bastard. Anyway! Here's the next installment of my story._

I have bad nightmares. We both know that, but so far no one has said anything about it yet. Well, I haven't said anything about it for obvious reasons, but he hasn't said anything at all. Which worries me in a way. He likes to feel so superior all the time. I would have thought he'd hold this weakness against me.

I was laying on his couch thinking about this. I could hear the shower running, and the constant drone in the background was comforting in a way. Of course, as soon as I had that thought the shower stopped running. I sighed. I couldn't get comfortable on the couch.

Professor Snape came out of the bathroom and watched me twist and turn on the couch for a few minutes. Finally, I stopped and looked at him. 

"Are you quite finished?" he said, raising an eyebrow. That used to be my trademark gesture. I think I'm rubbing off on him.

I laid back down and shut my eyes. I heard him get into bed, and the lights went out. After about half an hour, I was drifting off as well....

*******

I awoke in a cold sweat. I couldn't remember my dream, but I was terrified. I started crying again. Of course. My answer to every one of my problems. Cry. 

So I cried and shuddered, but quietly, as I didn't want Snape to see me. 

Too late.

He walked towards me with purposeful strides. I thought he was going to strike me. Instead he picked me up in his arms and carried me to his bed. He plopped me down on one side, and climbed in on the other.

"Breathe a word of this to anyone, whether it's through speech, writing, or morse code, I will find you and kill you."

I nodded.

"Now, sleep!"

I saluted him crisply and laid down. His pillows were soft. So were his sheets. I wriggled happily. 

"Knock it off."

I stopped wriggling happily.

I sighed.

I rolled over on my side...and came face to face with Snape. 

"You're a nuisance."

I wrinkled my nose at him and smiled. 

We laid there looking at each other for quite some time before he finally asked, "Why won't you speak?"

I rolled over and looked at the dying fire. Eventually he too rolled over and went to sleep. Turning around, I looked at him. It had been such an honest question. I _could_ have answered. I could have. "Why won't you speak?"...that question kept rolling around and around in my head. 

I leaned over him a bit. His face looked paler in the light of the dying fire. I brushed a strand of his hair off his face.

"I'm scared," I whispered.

He didn't hear me.

No one does anymore.


	9. The Accident

The Accident:

**The Accident: I didn't mean to**

_Author's Notes: I have nothing really clever to say now. Just I hope you enjoy the next installment! I had fun writing it! :-)_

__

It was a Wednesday evening. There was a storm raging outside. I loved the sound of the thunder, the sight of the lightening flashing in through the windows. It was a good night. 

I was walking with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I was actually getting used to this trio. They were a lot of fun to hang around with. We were finishing off the last of our treats we had so recently acquired from the kitchen, when Draco Malfoy and his two friends, Crabbe and Goyle appeared at the top of the stairs we were ascending.

"Well, good evening Harry," he said, sneering down at us. "I see you're out walking your Mud-Blood mutt." He noticed the last bit of pastry that Ron shoved quickly into his mouth. "Don't you get enough food at home?" Draco asked. Then he laughed. "Oh yes...you're too poor to afford good food. No wonder you've taken to stealing like a common criminal. Disgraceful."

I found it amusing that he was carrying on this conversation by himself. Neither of the four of us had said anything to him at all, or given any indication that we were. We kept walking up the stairs.

"What is it, Harry?" he asked in a menacing tone. "Don't want to talk to me? Will you fight me? How about a duel?"

Harry kept walking. I really don't give that boy enough credit. 

By this time we had reached the next floor.

"I see you've turned mute, just like your retarded friend here," Draco said, gesturing at me.

I had a few gestures for him too.

That seemed to provoke Harry. "Leave her alone!" he yelled. But before he could so much as pull out his wand, Draco had already muttered a spell. A small coil of rope was wrapping itself around Harry. Then it reached out for Ron, and then Hermione. Within a few seconds all three were tied up tight together.

I saw the coil of rope heading for me, but I did a roll towards Crabbe and Goyle. The rope did not care to follow such an animated victim.

"I have an idea," said Draco suddenly. "Let's leave them here, and alert Filch. He'll take care of them. What would this be now, Harry? Your third time out after hours? Fourth?" he laughed and starting walking away. Crabbe and Goyle followed him, but not before Crabbe could kick me in the stomach (as I was still laying on the floor) while Goyle gave the wrapped up trio a punch. 

Then it was as if time slowed down. I saw Ron lose his balance. I saw Harry and Hermione struggle to get themselves upright, but it was no use. They fell down the stairs. I reached out for them...I don't know what I was hoping for. I couldn't reach their hands, or even the bindings on them. All I could do was watch them fall. 

Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle looked horror stricken as the trio lay at the bottom of the steps...motionless. "Let's get out of here!" Draco shouted, and they took off running.

I took off running down the steps. 

They were out cold.

Or dead.

I prayed they were just out cold. Then I noticed the blood that started pooling. Was it from Hermione? Harry? I couldn't tell. I ran to get help.

I ran to get Dumbledore.

I reached the gargoyle and tried to remember the password that Harry had said not more than a few weeks ago. I hoped it was still active. 

"Butterbeer?" I guessed, frantic. I was hoping from one foot to the other, and wringing my hands.

The doorway swung open. I raced up the steps, and barged into Dumbledore's office. It was just like before...the first night I had arrived. Except the entire faculty was gathered together. 

So many people. Too many people. My tongue felt thick in my mouth. My throat was dry. I struggled to say anything...to do anything.

"What is it, Sarah?" Dumbledore asked, rushing to my side.

I forced my mouth to open. "Harry!" I gasped. "Ron...Hermione...," I tried to catch my breathe. Too many people. I was going to have an anxiety attack or a stroke or something.

"They fell. Draco...tied them....pushed...down the steps," I managed to gasp out. 

"Where?" asked Hagrid, racing to his feet.

"Near...Gryffindor Tower...," I said. I sunk to my knees, trying to stop my head from swimming. Trying to stop shaking. Everyone was looking at me, eyes wide, mouth agape.

Except Professor Snape.

"I'm glad you overcame your fear, Sarah," he said calmly.


	10. The Revelation

The Infirmary.

**The Infirmary...Again**

_Well, well. You must like where this story is going, otherwise you wouldn't have made it this far. I'm trying to drag this story out....make the chapters smaller...you know, because I don't want to give it up yet! Ahhhh! You can't make me end it so soon! Anyway...here you go....next chapter._

I woke up in the infirmary. Damn it. I must have passed out again. I couldn't remember anything except...Harry!

I struggled to sit up, but I was restrained...by Hagrid.

"Now hold on there," he said. "Yer not going anywhere yet."

The nurse came in. "Just lay back, dear. Dumbledore wants to speak with you before he lets you go for the night."

Okay. This is not a problem. I just spoke after weeks of pretending not to be able to. Obviously he's going to be angry. I practiced what I was going to say to him....when I realized I_ wouldn't_ be able to say anything to him. My throat felt constricted again, and this time there was no pressure to speak. No one was dying...

I looked at Hagrid, and tugged on his sleeve. He knew what I wanted. "Harry and them are going to be just fine. Hermione just hit her head on the floor a bit, but nothing Madame Pomfrey can't take care of."

I nodded, and looked down at my hands in my lap. Hagrid was going to say something else, but then Dumbledore walked into the room.

"Would you excuse us, Hagrid?" he asked softly. It was the voice that let you know something bad had happened.

I looked at Dumbledore with questioning eyes. He began, "Sarah, I do not expect you to speak again for awhile. I quite understand if you go back to being silent. The pressure of having to talk to quickly and so soon must have been tremendous."

I nodded.

"Well, now I must talk to you about a more serious matter," Dumbledore said, sitting in a chair next to Sarah. He folded his hands in his lap. "I went to get a few of your things, because I thought you might be staying in the Infirmary for awhile. But when I went to the Slytherin house, I was told that you had not been sleeping there for quite some time, and that indeed, you had packed up and moved out."

He must have noticed my look of horror. It was the look of someone that was caught. I knew this was bad. It was bad for Professor Snape, and it was bad for me. I hope he wasn't going to kick me out....

"I believe you know what the serious matter is," Dumbledore continued. "You realize that I cannot allow you to continue...err...to continue to share a room with Severus."

I can't go back to the Slytherin house. They hated me there. I would be dead by morning.

I shook my head anyway. Much to my dismay, my eyes started to fill with tears.

Dumbledore patted my hand. "Good," he said. "You may go back to your dormitory tonight."

Goody.

*******************

Well, a couple of hours later I was sitting in front of the fireplace in the Slytherin common room. I was just sitting. I was afraid to go to sleep.

Alright, I know that sounds ridiculous, but I was! I didn't know what they would do to me, and besides, all of my belongings were still in Snape's classroom.

Suddenly, I got up. I had just realized that...I didn't care. I mean, yes, in a way I did care if I got kicked out or not, but...I couldn't stay here. Not in the Slytherin house. Not with _them_.

I left.

And I headed for the dungeons.

The door to Snape's classroom was easily unlocked. However, the door to his chambers proved more of a trial. I had seen him and heard him undo the locks many times, but it was harder when I had to do it myself. 

Why was I doing this? I was crazy. I must be. Snape would...he would...well, he would hate me. And probably expel me. But I was going to do it anyway.

The door unlocked. I walked in and closed it gently behind me. I heard the shower running. It felt like I was home.

That can be a dangerously powerful feeling.

I sat on the edge of his bed, facing the bathroom door...and I waited. After awhile, I heard the water stop. Then I heard the faucet turn on. Then I heard a drawer open.

His footsteps were approaching the door. The knob turned.

I wanted to run, but I felt frozen.

The door opened, and I saw his face. There was no look of surprise on his face. He simply said, "Thank God. I thought I'd have to come and get you."

In that instant I was up and across the room, and the next thing I knew..his lips were on mine, and I was in heaven.

It was the happiest moment in my life...that I could remember. I loved the feel of his arms around me. The taste of his lips was on mine when we pulled away. I was smiling.

He looked shocked, yet quite pleased. I was glad. I didn't want him to regret it.

Suddenly, there were flashes of light...brilliant colors, and I was somewhere else completely. 

I was riding in a car. Two people were in the front seat. A woman and a man. A little boy was sitting next to me.

_Flash!_

I was screaming. The truck was coming closer.

_Flash!_

I was on the side of the road. Reaching out to the heap of metal. Like in my dream.

_Flash!_

I was back in Snape's room. My face was wet with tears. He was looking at me with concern in his eyes. Well, no wonder. He probably hadn't expected that reaction after our first kiss.

I let out a sound that was between a laugh and a gasp. I looked up at him.

"My name is Sarah Parks."


	11. Reality

The Revelation:

**Reality: The Saga Ends**

_Author's Notes: VERY IMPORTANT! If you just tuned in to see Chapter 11, GO BACK AND READ THE LAST PART OF CHAPTER 10. I changed it, because I thought it would flow better. Now that you know that, enjoy the end of my first Harry Potter fan fic_.

Well, here I am. I'm sitting on a train that's steaming (do trains still "steam"?) to my villa in Campobasso, Italy. Perhaps after that, we would go to the house in Hanover, then the flat in Paris. Who knows?

I lean back in my seat, and remember how it all had happened.

********

That night, Severus and I went straight to Dumbledore. I told him who I was (Sarah Parks), who my parents were (Daniel and Mary Parks. My brother was Kevin), where I was from (London, mostly), and what had happened that night.

We had been going to a company dinner. My father's company, that is. He had insisted on driving himself. He hadn't wanted to take the limousine. He didn't want to make a spectacle of us.

We were on the highway, and the road was still slick from a brief spell of rain. I saw the truck coming down the road. In fact, my brother pointed it out to us. He loved trucks.

The truck lost control, and swerved into our lane. My father tried to turn, but it was no use. The momentum from the turn threw me out the window. I wasn't wearing my seat belt. I was above such simple laws.

I remember laying on the ground after coming to. Glass was imbedded in my flesh, like a swarm of rat sized bees had stung me all over. I had a head wound. The blood was trickling into my eye.

I saw the twisted metal. I saw it go up in flames. I heard them scream. My parents. My brother. My family. They died in front of my very eyes. 

I miss them so much.

Dumbledore was so good to me. He didn't even say a word about the fact that Severus had come with me, and that it was quite obvious where I had intended to spend the night.

The entire time I had been at his school, he had let me wear my Muggle clothing, too. He didn't even suggest I change. 

He cared.

What I hadn't known was that he knew who I was the entire time I was at Hogwarts. 

When he told me this my mouth dropped open.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked pitifully.

"You needed to remember on your own. I wanted to, Sarah, but I couldn't. Madame Pomfrey told me that I musn't, so I didn't," Dumbledore explained patiently.

I suppose that made sense. You see, the news of my parents death was in all the papers. Both Muggle and Wizard. My mother worked for the Ministry, and my father worked in Parliment and owned a rather popular bookstore chain. 

In no short terms, I was one very rich orphan. Well, no longer an orphan. My birthday had passed without my knowing. I was eighteen years old.

It also turns out that the "us" who had sent that ominous letter and my trunk were none other than my god-parents. They were Muggle through and through. They didn't want me, so they had sent their chauffeur to leave me at Hogwarts. Though not literally, as I gathered from a phone conversation I had with them later on.

I studied hard the rest of that year. A lot was coming back to me, and I moved on quickly through Hogwarts. I actually graduated that year, thanks to the added help of the Hogwarts' staff. Many an hour I spent after class, learning new lesson after new lesson. 

I'm a quick learner.

I was able to sort out my parents' estates. They were worth somewhere in the range of £51.3 million. There were houses all over Europe, and two in America. Those I sold right away. I was only a little girl when I had gone there, and I had no need to go to America. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione soon became my best friends. Not surprising, as I basically detested everyone else I had to spend time with. 

Yes, that's right. I graduated a Slytherin. Though I never did spend another night in that horrid dormitory. Dumbledore kindly over looked the fact that I had no possessions in there. 

He knew where to find me if he needed me anyway.

****************

Severus nudged me and pointed out the window. We were passing through the Alps. I woke Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They had never been to the Alps, from what I gathered. They had never been to Italy either. 

I told them that they could come with me this summer if they could handle Severus.

I told Severus he could come if he promised to not kill Ron, Harry, or Hermione.

Both parties quickly agreed. A tour of Europe was worth it. Maybe they would even learn to enjoy each other's company.

"Stop breathing on the glass," Severus snapped at Ron.

"I'm not breathing on the glass," Ron snapped back. "I'm just looking!"

I guess not.

It was not the school year. Ron could snap as much as he wanted.

"No arguing," I said, as I leaned against Severus and looked out the window. 

I suppose someone might say this is the perfect "happy ending story". But they're wrong.

It's only the beginning.

_~Fin~_


End file.
